The following photo essay was contributed by local Vancouver photographer Clayton Perry, exclusively for Inside Vancouver. In this photo essay Clayton takes a look at beaches around Vancouver.

When I was asked to do a photo-essay on Vancouver’s beaches, I was a little worried…to be honest, I didn’t think that I had enough images to make it worth the while and fall had already snuck up on us so the chance of me getting any good images this year is basically gone with the wind as it were…but as I looked through my database of images, I began to realize that I have quite a few images of beaches around the Vancouver area. I know there are literally dozens of great beaches and swimming holes around the Lower Mainland and I am sure that I am going to miss some of your favourites. Although we’re not really “world famous” for our beaches, at least not as much as we are for our mountains, I think Vancouver has some incredible places to lay your towel down, and people watching on the Kits Beach boardwalk rivals an afternoon on Venice Beach any summer day.

Taking advantage of the sun on this gorgeous Friday afternoon, I spent the day with my family doing one of the things we love best: exploring Vancouver’s southwestern beaches. We started at Spanish Banks, made our way to Jericho, and finished off at Kits Beach. By the time we hit Kits, we needed a snack, so we checked out the beach’s newest resident: The Boathouse at Kits Beach.

Vancouver’s Boathouse restaurants have been a seafood destination since 1981, but they just opened The Boathouse at Kits Beach this summer. With its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking some of city’s best views—and the beach itself—this is the perfect spot for a gourmet beach snack. And if you’re looking for a great deal—especially on beer and oysters—do what we did and take advantage of “Appy Hour” from 3pm – 6pm.

The best neighbourhood restaurants do more than just feed the community, they simultaneously embody and compliment their neighbourhood, sharing its attitudes and ethics and reflecting those philosophies in the food they serve.

Refuel, located in the heart of Kitsilano’s W 4th Avenue shopping district, just south of Kits Beach, is one of Vancouver’s best neighbourhood restaurants for exactly that reason. Like Kits itself, Refuel is relaxed yet hip, able to cater to everyone—romantic couples, groups of friends, families—and brings a truly green-living sensibility to the table: Refuel’s casual Northwest cuisine is all about the organic and seasonal, using locally-sourced ingredients wherever possible and employing a “nose to tail” philosophy that makes creative use of as much of their proteins as they can.

The following post was contributed by Michelle Taylor, Tourism Vancouver’s Meetings & Conventions Sales Manager for the Canadian Market. With a busy territory, Michelle is a strong believer in balancing hectic days with a balance of work and play. Like many born and raised in Vancouver she maintains an active lifestyle with running being one of her favourite past times. Read how she describes her perfect day in the city:

Let me start by saying that I’m a runner not a writer. I’m one who prefers to run in the morning; literally rolling out of bed into my running gear, with my hair safely tucked under a ball cap.

Beat the Monday blues with dreams of weekends past and future. In Vancouver, there’s no better place to spend those summer days than on one of the city’s beaches, which is why every week for the next four I’ll be writing a profile on my favourite sandy strips. This week, Kits Beach!

What: Kitsilano Beach, a.ka. Kits. Also the site of Kitsilano Pool, a 137-meter heated salt-water pool.

Where: North of the trendy boutiques and coffee shops of West 4th, between Cypress and Yew Streets. Coming from Downtown, take the Burrard Street Bridge South and then hook a right on Cornwall. When you see the beautiful and bronzed, you’ll know you’re in the right spot.

Inside Vancouver is a multi-author blog, written by Vancouverites about Vancouver. Our goal is to give an insider’s view of Vancouver, to provide information, stories and opinions from the locals’ perspective about this great city.